Fred Corral is in currently in the second year of his second stint as an assistant coach with the Tennessee baseball program. Corral (pronounced: cuh-RAL) served as Tennessee's pitching coach in 2003 and 2004, then spent three seasons in that role at Oklahoma before returning to the Volunteers staff in the summer of 2007.

"Fred Corral brings a wealth of experience at this level, and he's one of the most respected pitching coaches in the country," UT head coach Todd Raleigh said. "His track record of developing pitchers is second to none. He knows the University of Tennessee, having coached here before, and he's added a lot to our staff."

Corral's 2008 pitching staff was highlighted by the emergence of left-handers Bryan Morgado and Nick Hernandez.

Fred Corral is one of the top pitching coaches in the nation and noted for his excellent instruction.

Corral shaped Morgado into one of the nation's top strikeout artists, as the redshirt-freshman ranked among the national and Southeastern Conference leaders with 104 Ks on the year. In doing so, Morgado earned Freshman All-America status, a spot on the Roger Clemens Award watch list and became just the second UT freshman ever to surpass the 100-strikeout milestone.

Hernandez, meanwhile, enjoyed one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the country under Corral's tutelage. Before Corral's arrival at Tennessee, Hernandez totaled 44 strikeouts and 43 walks in 52 total innings during the 2007 season. But in 2008, he increased his innings pitched to a team-high 83 2/3 while dramatically reducing his number of walks issued.

In fact, Hernandez finished the year with 63 strikeouts against just nine total walks to rank among the NCAA Division I leaders with a 7.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His 0.97 walks per nine innings set a single-season school record and ranked fifth nationally. Hernandez also was the only pitcher in the Southeastern Conference to start at least 10 games and not issue multiple walks in any start during the 2008 season.

Reliever Danny Wiltz also thrived under Corral's guidance. The junior fashioned a 4.00 ERA with two wins in his first two seasons as a Vol. But in 2008, Wiltz totaled three victories and a team-high four saves. Wiltz also finished the year with an impressive 2.83 ERA in a career-high 41 1/3 innings.

During Corral's first stint at Tennessee, he directed the Volunteers pitching staff to the upper echelons of the pitching-rich SEC as well as the nation. His staffs posted consecutive sub-3.90 ERAs while combining for a 2.3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Tennessee's 3.16 walks allowed per nine innings in 2003 stands as the second-best mark in program history, and UT's 2004 team ERA (3.51) ranked among the top 15 in the country.

In 2003, Tennessee lowered its ERA to 3.88, an improvement of more than a run and a half from the previous year to rank 31st in the nation. The 2004 UT pitching staff continued to show improvement under Corral's direction. UT's 2004 ERA dropped to 3.51, which ranked 13th nationally and fifth in the SEC for the second consecutive year. The staff recorded the fifth-most strikeouts in school history and held opponents to a .243 batting average, which was UT's lowest mark in nine seasons. Tennessee also had three pitchers in 2004 whose ERAs ranked among the top 12 in the SEC.

Fred Corral is in his second stint as Tennessee's pitching coach.

Four of the pitchers Corral has mentored at Tennessee have gone on to be selected in the MLB draft. He signed James Adkins and coached Luke Hochevar, hurlers who now rank first and third on UT's all-time strikeouts list, respectively. Hochevar now starts for the Kansas City Royals, and Adkins is in the process of ascending toward the major leagues.

Corral also recruited and signed former Vols Chase Headley and Eric King, both of whom came to UT from the West Coast (like Hochevar), were drafted in 2005 and starred in the minor-league ranks. Headley has since gone on to reach the big leagues as a third baseman/outfielder with the San Diego Padres.

"Coach Corral is the ultimate pitching guy," Hochevar, a two-time first-round draft pick, said. "He takes pitching to the next level and pushes his guys to the best of their abilities. There is no one in the country as good as Chief. He hits every aspect of the game from mechanics to the mental approach and knows how to teach it better than anyone I have ever been around.

"He has a unique way of finding out how to motivate his guys and instills a winner-warrior mentality. I owe a ton to him and believe that, without his help, I would not be where I am today. He is family and has a huge heart. He's the best."

Family reasons were instrumental in Corral's decision to take the job as Oklahoma's pitching coach following the 2004 season. During his three years on the OU staff, Corral helped Oklahoma make two consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament, including the program's first Super Regional appearance in 2006. He also saw nine of his Sooner hurlers (including two-time draftee Daniel McCutchen) selected in the MLB draft, and six OU pitchers earned All-Big 12 honors during Corral's tenure.

The 2008 MLB draft brought Corral's total number of drafted pitchers to 51 in his 16-year coaching career. He has mentored a grand total of 57 professional pitchers during that span--an average of 3.6 per year.

In his first year at OU, Corral's staff posted an overall ERA of 4.77 (the lowest in OU's previous five seasons) over the Sooners' 61 games and did even better in conference play with a 4.04 ERA. The 4.04 mark was Oklahoma's second-lowest team ERA, in conference play, since 1984. And in 2007, the Sooners led all teams in the Big 12 with 466 total strikeouts.

By 2003, Corral had been well-groomed for an assistant coach position at the Division I level after serving six seasons under one of the most highly respected and successful junior college coaches in the nation, Jerry Weinstein, at Sacramento (Calif.) City College. From 1996-2002, Corral served as the pitching coach at SCC, where he was an integral part of the program's success. He served on a coaching staff that produced one national championship and five Bay Valley East Conference championships, including two state runner-up titles. His staffs compiled an overall record of 281-56-1 for an .833 winning percentage during his tenure.

In addition to his pitching duties, Corral also served as the program's recruiting coordinator and camp supervisor while playing an active role in fundraising.

Of the 36 drafted pitchers under his tutelage at SCC, 13 signed professional contracts worth nearly $4 million. Additionally, four of his drafted talents - Matt Riley, Adam Bernero, Mike Neu and Joe Horgan - advanced all the way to the Major Leagues. Sean Smith, a draft-and-follow prospect, signed a $1.2 million contract with the Cleveland Indians after being selected in the 16th round of the 2001 draft.

A return to his alma mater started Corral's collegiate coaching career in 1993. He spent two seasons as the pitching coach at San Joaquin Delta Junior College in Stockton, Calif., from 1993-95, before being hired to direct the pitchers at Sacramento City College.

While at those two stops, he developed 37 hurlers who were drafted. Every pitcher Corral coached at SCC was either drafted or transferred to a four-year institution.

Corral's coaching career also includes stints with several professional organizations as well as summer collegiate teams. He acquired coaching experience at the professional level while working with minor-league teams in the Montreal Expos and Los Angeles Dodgers systems. His initial experience at the professional level occurred in 1999 when he was an instructor at spring and extended spring training for the Expos' Gulf Coast League team. In 2000, he served as the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers Class-A short-season team in Yakima, Wash., which captured the Northwest League title that year. His affiliation with the Dodgers' organization continued in 2001, as he worked with the pitching staff of the Class-A Wilmington Waves in the South Atlantic League.

In 1994, Corral toured Switzerland with Major League Baseball International, instructing coaches on fundamentals, practice organization and game management.

On the collegiate summer league circuit, Corral served one season (1993) as the assistant coach for the Kenai Oilers of the Alaska Baseball League. He also directed the squad's outfielders while helping lead the team to the National Baseball Congress World Series championship.

A first-team All-Pac 10 Conference performer as a relief pitcher at the University of California, Corral helped lead the Golden Bears to their fourth College World Series appearance in his two seasons. He posted a flawless 10-0 record with five saves and a 3.75 ERA in his first season (1987) en route to all-conference honors. He became the school's eighth 10-game winner while setting a school record for single-season win-loss percentage. The left-hander finished his career with a 13-5 mark, 4.50 ERA and six saves.

Corral began his collegiate career at San Joaquin Delta Junior College where he garnered All-Camino Notre Conference honors in 1985 and 1986.

A 1984 graduate of Ripon High School in his native Ripon, Calif., Corral earned All-State honors after leading his team to the Northern California State Championship his senior year. An accomplished athlete, he also lettered three times in basketball and twice in football.

Off the field, Corral had an article published in Scholastic Coach's March 2002 issue titled, "A Balanced Approach to Pitching Mechanics." In addition to the published article, he also produced three video tapes, including "A Balanced Approach to Pitching Mechanics," "Common Faults and Corrections" and "Drills to Improve or Maintain the Delivery."

Corral is married to the former Cynthia Drost, of Ripon, Calif., and the couple has two children, Kaitlyn Joy and Justin Jerome. The couple's nieces, Marisa and Chelsea, and nephews, Michael and Robert, also live with them.

THE FRED CORRAL FILE

Full Name: Alfredo Primo Corral

Born: April 19, 1966

Hometown: Ripon, Calif.

Family: Married to the former Cynthia Drost, of Ripon, Calif. The couple has a daughter, Kaitlyn Joy (8), and a son, Justin Jerome (4).

Coaching Experience: Assistant coach at San Joaquin Delta College (1993-95); Assistant coach for Kenai Oilers (Alaska Baseball League; summer 1993); Assistant coach at Sacramento City College (1995-2002); Assistant coach at University of Tennessee (2003-04); Assistant coach at University of Oklahoma (2005-07); Assistant coach at University of Tennessee (2008-present)